Machine for molding concrete blocks



Oct. 17, 1950 A. R. CLANTON MACHINE FOR MOLDING CONCRETE BLOCKS 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed NOV. 23, 1946 I N VEN TOR.

ATTORNEY.

Ot. 17, 1950 A. R. CLANTON' 2,526,198

MACHINE FOR MOLDING CONCRETE BLOCKS Filed Nov. 23, 1946 4 sheets-sheet 2 I IN VEN TOR.

Arroews'x Oct. 17, 1950 A, CLANTQN 2,526,198

MACHINE FOR MOLDING CONCRETE BLOCKS Filed Nov. 23, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 77 78 73 67 INVENTOR.

a7 WM 66 BY H p 61 w! A TTOENEY.

Oct. 17, 1950 A. R. CLANTON 2,526,198

MACHINE FOR MOLDING CONCRETE BLOCKS Filed Nov. 23, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 I N VEN TOR.

p a. (11W .ATTOENEY.

Patented Oct. 17,1950

UNITED sTl lTEs PATENT OFFICE I v BLOCKS V Albert Richard Clanton, North Hollywood, Calif.

Application November 23, 1946, Serial No. 712,022

This invention relates to machines for forming articles such as building blocks, of cementitious material or the like, and more particularly to such machines in which cementitious material is packed into a mold'by vibration so as to form :a compact blockof predetermined density.

One method of-for-ming concrete building blocks is that of filling a moldof desired shape with concrete and then vibrating the mold to packthe concrete firmly thereinto, thereby filling the corners and interstices of the mold and creating a block of uniform density and surface texture. 1

It is an object of this invention to provide in a block forming machine, means for applying sudden shock to a mold, thereby firmly'packing concrete into the mold. a

It is another object to provide in a vibratory machine for forming concrete blocks, means for applying a series of shocks to the mold sothat the efiect of the vibration is reinforced by the shocking of the mold.

More particularly, it is an object of this invention to provide in such a vibratory machine, means for suddenly retarding a vibratory excursion of the mold so that the shock produced will pack the concrete more firmly into the mold.

Still more particularly, it is an object to utilize the force of gravity in'a vibrating machine by applying upwardly directed shocks to the mold, whereby to take advantage'not only of the sudden stopping in the movement of the mold, but also to utilize the weight of the concrete itself'as the mold is shocked upwardly to pack the concrete more firmly into the mold.

It is" another object of this invention to provide improved means for mounting a support for use in a vibrating machine and particularly for use in a vibrating machine wherein an eccentrically mounted rotor is utilized to vibrate'the support.

More particularly it is an object of the invention to provide improved means for resiliently mounting a support, whichlatter may be then vibrated by a rotor eccentrically mounted thereon.

It is another object of this invention to provide in a machine for forming objects of concrete and the like, an improved mold characterized by means for aiding in the removal therefrom of a molded block.

It is another object to provide in combination with a machine for, molding blocks of concrete,

the combinationof a mold having means for aiding in the removaltherefrom of a block, which removal means is automaticallyactuated inre- 13 Claims. (01. 25 .41

sponse to movement of the mold with respect to the machine;

More particularly, it is an object of this invention to provide in a vibratory machine for molding concrete blocks, a rotatable mold having a loadingposition for receiving concrete and an ejecting position for delivering a molded block, and means on the mold for aiding in the removal therefrom of a molded block, which means is automatically actuated in response to rotation of the mold from its concrete receiving position to its block ejecting position.

*It is another object of this invention to provide in a machine for molding blocks of concrete, carriage means for receiving the molded block from the mold'and conveying it away from the mold. r I

More particularly, it is an object of this invention to provide a carriage as above specified in which the energy for advancing the carriage toward the mold is provided by the potential energy of the preceding molded block as it is withdrawn from the mold and lowered by, the carriage." In this manner, oscillation of the carriage between its two positions is efiectuated without the provision of external power or manual labor.

This invention possesses many other advantages and has'other objects which may be made more easily apparent from a consideration of one embodiment of the invention. For this purpose there is shown a form in the drawings accompanying and forming part of the present specification. This form will now be described in detail, illustrating the general principles of the invention; but it is to be understood that this detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, since the scope of the invention is best definedby the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings: 1

Figure l is a side elevation of the machine sectioned to show the internal operating portions thereof. The view of Figure 1 is taken along line II of Figure 2; I

Figure 2 is a front view of the machine and illustrates that side of the machine faced by the operator in loading and unloading the mold. The view shown in Figure 2 has been partially sectioned to show the interiorof the mold;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary side elevation show-- ing the latching means for maintaining-the mold in upright, or concrete receiving, position during vibration thereof by the machine. Figure has been taken along line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4-4 'of Figure;,2;';i

gs-"miss Figure'5 is a fragmentary view showing the impact member, whereby sudden shocks are administered. to the mold during vibration thereof; Figure 5 has been taken along line 55 of Figure 2;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary side elevation similar to Figure 1 showing the mold rotated to eject a molded block and the carriage raised to receive the block therefrom;

Figure 7 is a plan view of the machine looking down into the mold;

Figure 8 is a view showing the bottom of the mold and illustrates particularly the means for holding the core inside the mold, and also illustrates the means for aiding in removal of a molded block from the mold;

Figure 9 is a sectional view of the mold illustrating the means for aiding in removal therefrom of a molded block. Figure 9 has been taken along line 9-9 of Figure 2;

Figure 10, taken along line Ifl-l0 of Figure 2, shows particularly the means for. maintaining the internal core within the mold; and

Figure 11 is a perspective view of a block molded in the machine of the invention. 7 The machine of this invention comprises a resiliently mounted support adapted to receive a mold for receiving cementitious material and the like. The support is mounted on elongate elements, tensioned between horizontally spaced anchor members. In this manner, the support, when vibrated, moves vertically so that the material in the mold is shaken down into the mold by the action of gravity upon the concrete in the mold.

To enhance the packing of the material into the mold, there is provided one or more impact members against which the mold is caused to strike in its downward excursion so that a sudden upwardly directed force or shock is thereby applied to the mold in each vibration thereof. This causes the concrete in the mold to be firmly driven into the corners of the mold and to be densely packed therein, thereby forming a compact and solid molded article.

With the completion of the packing operation the vibration of the support is stopped and the mold is rotated on the support so as to face downwardly. Responsive to rotation of the mold, means are automatically actuated to loosen the molded block from the walls ofthe mold, thereby aiding in the removal of the molded article from the mold.

. With the mold in position to eject the molded articlaand the article partially loosened from the walls of the mold, the support is again vibrated, thereby shaking the molded article onto a carriage. The weight of the article on the carriage automatically carries the carriage downward, where it is automatically latched, and the article is removed from the carriage as by a roller conveyor. In the lowering of the carriage by the weight of the article, energy is stored, which upon unlatching of the carriage is utilized to liftthe carriage to article-receiving position. The operation may be repeated with each cycle of the machine.

Referring now to the drawings, the vibratory machine of this invention is illustrated having a support l5 comprised of a pair of spaced resiliently mounted uprights l5 and I! (Figure 2). Means for vertically vibrating the support l5 are provided in the form of a pair of eccentrically mounted rotors I8 and i9 fixedly mounted on a shaft 2| journalled in bearings ,22.and 23 on the means are provided for the upright 4 respective uprights l6 and H. Near the upper ends of uprights l6 and I! are mounted bearings 24 and 25, respectively. A mold 26 is rotatably supported by means of stub shafts Z! and 28 in the bearings 24 and 25. Upon rotation of shaft 2| and eccentric rotors l8 and I9, support l5 vibrates vertically and the vertical vibration thereof is transmitted through bearings 24 and 25 to the mold 26 so that concrete or other material is packed into the mold.

To enhance the packing operation, there are provided impact members in the form of fixedly mounted uprights 29 and 3|, at the top of which are provided U-shaped seats 32 (Figure 5), stub shafts 2'1 and 28 extending beyond the bearings 24 and 25, respectively, into the U-shaped seats 32 immediately above the bottom surfaces 33 thereof. The sides of the seats 32 serve to guide the vertical vibrations of the stub shafts 21 and 28. This relative position of shafts 2'! and 28 with respect to surfaces 33 of seats 32 is attained during quiescence when the support, I5 is not vibrating. Upon vertical vibration of support [5, the shafts 2'l28 are alternately lifted from and dropped upon the impact surfaces 33. The resilient mounting of support I5 imparts to its vibration a characteristic approximating that of the typical sine vibration. Thus, the maximum velocity of shafts 21-28 in their vertical'vibration (assuming the absence of impact members 29 and 3|) would be achieved at the midpoint of the vibratory span. However, it is at substantially this vibratory midpoint that the impact surfaces 33 are located, so that with each downward vibratory excursion of the shafts 2'l28 and of mold 26, the shafts are suddenly stopped by impact against the surfaces 33, causing a sudden upwardly directed shock against mold 26. This sudden retardation and consequent shock occurs substantially at the point of maximum velocity achieved by the mold 26 in its vibratory motion. In this manner, the maximum shocking action of the mold is achieved and the concrete is packed into the mold with great force.

To ease the shock upon bearings 22, 23, 24 and 25, resilient or semi-resilient packing, such as layers of rubber 34, are interposed between the bearings 24 and 25 and the upper ends of uprights l6 and [1, respectively, the packing being held between the bearings and the uprights proper by means of bolt and nut assemblies 35.

The resilient mounting of support I5 consisting of uprights l6 and I! mentioned hereinbefore, will now be described for upright 11, it being understood that substantially identical mounting l6. Referring to Figure 4, the lower end of upright I! is shown mounted on a pair of horizontal, elongate, tension-ed elements 36-and 31. Each of the elements, for example element 36, consists of a wire rope 33 and 39, one on each side of upright l1, and anchored thereto by eyebolts 4| and 42, respectively. The outer end of the wire rope 38 is attached to a vertical, channeled, anchor member 43, while the outer end of wire rope 39 is attached to a similar anchor member 44. Horizontal strengthening between anchor members 43 and 44 is provided at the top by channel members 45 and at the bottom by similar channel members 46, which are conveniently made of twoparts as shown in Figure 4. Between the two parts of the channel members is welded the upright impact member 3|, as shown in Figures 2 and 4. Anchoring of wire ropes 38 and39 to the anchor members 43 and is. achieved-througheyebolts and 48 respectively Adjustability in tension of the cable 36 is provided by tightening or loosening of the backing nuts 53 and 54 bearing against washer members 55. It will be understood that the element 31 is similar in construction and mounting to element 33, occupying simply a position directly below element 36, and serving in cooperation therewith to maintain upright the member I7.

Reference to Figure 4 will show that upon rotation of eccentric rotors l8 and I9, the support I5 will vibrate vertically, the span of vibration being determined largely by the tension applied to flexible elements 36 and 31, and the relation between the rotative velocity of rotors l8 and I9 and the natural vibratory periodicity of the support l5 resiliently mounted on the tensioned elements.

Upright I6 is mounted in a manner similar to that just described for upright l1, and further description thereof is deemed unnecessary. The two upright assemblies above described are united into a single machine frame by means of transverse horizontal members such as shown at 60 in Figure 2.

Rotation of shaft 2| and consequent vibration of support I5 is achieved through a pulley '56 mounted on shaft 2| and engaged by a belt5'l in turn driven by a pulley 58 on the shaft of a motor 59.

To provide for expeditious filling of the mold 26 when in an upright position, there is provided a hopper 6|, the bed 62 of which is co-planar with and adjoins mold 26 (Figure 1). In use, the operator scrapes the desired amount of concrete 63 over the face of the mold, filling iteven with the top. The top is then planed off with the scraper 56; and the mold, still in its upright position, is vibrated by vibration of support |5 through motor 59. With the concrete properly packed into the mold through vibration thereof and impact of the shafts 2! and 29 against the surface 33, means are provided for expeditiously removing the molded block from the mold 26. As explained hereinbefore, the stub shafts 2'! and 29 of the mold 25 are rotatably mounted in bearings 24 and 25 of uprights l6 and [1, respectively. By rotating mold 25 through 180", the face of the mold may be directed downwardly,

so that the molded article may be dropped therefrom onto a carriage E5, vertically reciprocable' immediately below the mold 26.

Carriage 65 is comprised of four vertical tubular members 66, telescoped over vertical rods 61 mounted on the frame of the machine. The upper portion of the carriage includes a horizontal frame l8, in which are rotatably mounted a series of conveyor wheels 68 rotating about a horizontal axis and adapted to receive the pallet 69 carrying the molded article from the mold 25.

V verse horizontal shaft I5 is connected between arms 13. Depending rotatably from the arms 13 are a pair of links 16, between the lower ends of .60 When the carriage 55 is in its lower position,

which extends another traiis'vr's horizontal shaft 71. Shaft 11 extends horizontally between beams 18, which form part of the carriage 65 and are anchored to the vertical tubular members 66.

Thus, by oscillation of boom 12 about shaft 14, the carriage 65 may be raised and lowered, with the links 16 compensating for the slight horizontal shift in position of shaft .15 as the boom oscillates.

-The rearward end 19 of the boom I2 is normally biased downward by a weight 8| and a spring 82. This biases upwardly the forward edge of boom 12 and consequently biases upwardly carriage..65.

To restrain carriage 65 at its lower position, a hook latch member '83 is biased by a spring 84 to be hooked over shaft 11, and is released through lever 85 by actuation of a foot pedal 86. Latch automatically slips over shaft 11 as carriage 55 reaches its lower position, and thereby normally restrainsrit from upward movement.

When the .operator desires ,to raise the carriage .65 to receive a molded block 1| from inverted mold,26, he depresses foot pedal 86, releasing shaft 11 from latch 83; and the carriage 65 is carried upward by the counterclockwise (Figure l.) .pivoting ofboom 12 about shaft 14, the rota tion thereof being transmitted to carriage 65 through links-16 and rod".

If desired, only one of the energy storing means, i. 12., weight 8| or spring 82, may be employed. The employment 0f, weight 8|jproduces a steady upwardforceon carriage 85, while the employment of spring 82 produces a force which is greaterat the lower portion of the travel of carriage 65. Spring biased operation may be preferred in certain cases to achieve more rapid acceleration of the carriage; and to eifectuate a gentle stop as the carriage reaches the upper limit of its travel, with rollers 68 impinging against pallet 69 bearing molded block H.

In order to ,aid in removalof the molded block from the mold 26 after its formation and packing, itis desirable, before attempting downward .fiiction of the block onto carriage 65, to move at least a portion of the mold walls with respect to the molded block, and thereby break the seal between the block and the mold. For this purpose, the mold 26 is constructed as shown in Figures 7-10, having aframe 81 including the side walls of the mold. It will be noted in Figure 7 that the cavities 88 and 89 of theparti'cular mold illustrated forms simultaneously a pair of identical blocks shaped like an inverted A, as shown inFigure 11. It will be understood that the mold may be given any desired shape.

Movable with respect to the frame and side walls 81 is a pair of bottom walls 9| and 92, one for each ofthe two identical molds 88 and 89. Bottoms 9| and 92 are connected to frame 81 through anofiset shaft 93, the ends of which are journal ed in bearings 94 and mounted on frame 81. The central portion of shaft 93 is offset at 96, and upon the offset portion are mounted pairs of brackets 91 and 98, the former supporting bottom 9| and the latter supporting bottom 92. Reference to Figure 9 will show that rotation of shaft 93 in the bearings 94 and 95 causes movement of bottoms 9| and 92 with respect to frame 81 in an are extending first laterally of frame 81 and then receding therefrom along the arcuate path created by rotation of portion 96 about the axis of portions 93 of the shaft. The net eflect of this motion is to cause recession of bottoms 9| and 92 from frame 81 along a line disposed generally obliquely with respect to frame '81. 7

.The construction above described neatly permits breaking away of bottoms 9I and 92 from the molded block by first sliding the bottom with respect to the block, which breaks the seal, and then withdrawing the bottom from the block H and the frame 81. While this operation has been described with reference to Figure 9, which would indicate that it takes place with the mold 26 in upright position, the operation is preferably effected after the mold has been inverted to its position'shown in Figure 6.

Means are provided for automatically actuating the movable bottoms 9| and 92in response to rotation of mold 26 about its mounting shaft 21. Such means'is shown in Figures 1 and 6 as a lever 'IOI' fixedly attached to one end of shaft 93. ISlight angular movement of lever IOI about the axis of shaft 93 produces the necessary arcuate breaking away of bottoms 9I-92 from the molded block I I. This angular movement is auto- ;matically achieved by the employment of a pair 'of stop members I02 and I03 mounted on the frame of the machine and disposed approximately diametrically with respect to the rotative axis :21 of mold 26. As mold 25 is rotated into ejectfing position, shown in Figure 6, the end of lever IOI strikes stop I03; continued rotation'of mold 26 into ejecting position causes rotation of shaft :93 in bearings 94 and 95, and efiectuates the above described arcuate recession of bottoms 9| and 92 :from the frame and sides 81, thus breaking the :molded' block II free from the bottom walls. The block II, thus freed from the bottom wall, :may be then easily vibrated out of mold 26 onto marriage 85 through operation of motor 59. P During manual return of mold 26 to its upright position for reception of additional concrete 63, lever IOI strikes stop I02 and bottoms 9| and 92 return to the position shown in Figure 1, wherein the bottoms are closely adjacent the frame and walls 81.

In certain types of molds such as shown at 88 and 89, wherein a core member I04 is employed to create in the finished block an opening therethrough, special mounting means are required for the core in order to maintain the core fixed with respect tothe outside frame walls 81 and still permit of the sliding arcuate motion of the bottom walls. To this end there is employed, as shown in Figures 8 and 10, core straps I05 which extend across the bottom of frame 8'! directly beneath opening I65 in the bottom 92. Through opening I00 extends an anchoring member I01, the upper end of which is attached, as by welding, to core I04 and the lower end of which is attached to the core strap I05. In this manner core. I04 is fixed within-mold 26 to the frame or side walls 81, while still permitting of relative motion between the bottom 92 and the frame 8'I.- It will be understood that molds 88 and89 are both of similar construction.

The vibration of mold 26 by support I5, ampli fled by. the shocking of the mold shafts 21 and 28 impacting-against surfaces 33, may be very intense, and might in therabsence of preventive measures cause inadvertent inversion of the mold 26 by rotation in bearings 24 and 25 before the desired packing has beenaccomplished, thereby spilling the concrete.

To prevent such occurrence, locking means are provided, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, cons'isting of anelongate cam member I08 fixed at the 'end' of 'sh'aft'Z'I. At one 'end of cam member I08 a notch I09 bordered-at one sideby' a high-detent III and on the other side" by a low detent H2. 'A dog member H3, spring biased toward 'cam I08- by spring IM cooperates-- with l'iOtClTfUQ to form a stop member preventing unwarranted rotation of mold 26. Cam I08 is shown-in Figure 3 with the mold in vibrating positiombeing restrained from rotation in one direction by abutting against a tab H5 adjacent the concrete'hopper 6| (Figure l), and'in the other direction by the latching achieved through the cooperation of dog H3 and the high detent III. Following the vibratory impacting "operation,the operator lifts dog I I3, permitting clockwise rotation of mold 26 (Figures 1 and 3), allowing high detent III to pass under the dog I'IS.

With the mold in inverted position; the dog (I3 resides in recess H6 in the other end of=cam I68,"'being restrained by the low detents 'III. Following completion of the ejection operation, the operator manually rotates mold 26"counterclockwise, the" detent II3 automatically"riding over the low detents III. Asmold26 app ches upright position, dog I I3 automaticallyisflliftd and rides over the cam surface of high 'detent 'I I I to seatin notch I09, ready for repetition o'I'the vibratory step.

' With"car'riage 65 in its 'lower' positio T the rollers 68 thereof register with the rollers 'II8 "of a stationary conveyor track H9, which,..extends generally horizontally through the center of machine under hopper 62. Track 9' preferably has a, slight downward'slant to expedite removal of molded blocks II on their pallets 69.

It is desirable, as carriage 65 rises to receive a molded block 'II that support I5 be automatically set into vibration whereby to eject block 'I' I, and that as carriage 65 recedes from mold 26, the vibration should automatically cease. To this end there is provided an actuating rod I2I mounted on the forward end of boom I2, the upper end (not shown) of which operates an electrical switch (not shown) to turn motor 59 off and on. During the other portion of the cycle, i. e., the vibratory impact of concrete 93 into mold 25, the switch for motor 59 is manually operated on and 01f.

A complete summary of the operation of the machine will now be outlined by illustrating a typical cycle of operation.

At the outset, the mold is upright as shown in Figure l, and ready to receive concrete 63. The operator standing to the right of the machine (Figure 1) scrapes sufi'icient concrete 63 into the two molds 88 and 89, and scrapes the top smooth with the scraper 64. He then operates a switch (not shown) to turn on motor 59, which rotates eccentric rotors I8 and I9 through belt 5'1, pulley56 and'shaft 2 I. Shaft 2I being mounted on support I5, and support I5 being resiliently held on the elongate elements 36 and 31, the support vibrates up and down at a frequency determined by the rotative velocity of the shaft 2|. Inasmuch as the shafts 2'! and 28 of mold 26 are mounted on support I5 so as to be normally disposed immediately above the impact surfaces 33 of the U-shaped seats 32 on standards 29 and 3|, each downward excursion of mold 26 occasioned by the vibration of support I5 causes shafts 21 and 28 to strike forcibly against the stationary standards 29 and 3I. Tlu's impact occurs substantially at the point of maximum velocityi'n the vibration of mold 26. The sudden,

retardation of mold 26 in itsdownward excursion is equivalent to a sharp upward impact on the mold, and causes cement 63 therein to be packed well into the mold by vibration and impact utilizing the momentum and weight of the concrete as a driving force. During this operation mold 26 is prevented from rotating in bearings 25 and 25 by the restraining action of dog H3 in notch I09.

The operator then opens the switch, deen'ergizing motor 59, and stopping vibration of support 15. He then places a pallet 69 over the'top of mold 25 and while holding it there with one hand, releasesdog H3 with the other hand, and manually pivots mold 26 clockwise about its shaft 27. As mold 26-rotates into its fully inverted position, lever liil strikes stop H13 (Figure 6) causing rotation of shaft 93, and arcuate recession of bottoms 9i and 92 away from frame 8?, thereby breaking loose the bottoms from the molded block ll.

Simultaneously, with manual rotation of mold 26, the operator applies his foot to pedal 86, releasing latch 83 from shaft 11, and allowing carriage 65 to be raised by the urging of weight BI and spring 92 acting through boom 12, shaft 15, links 16 and shaft 11. As carriage 635 rises'to meet the now inverted mold 2&5 and pallet 69 (Figure 6), the motor 59 is energized through actuation of its switch through rod l2l, causing vibration of support l5 and impact of shafts 2'! and 28 of mold 26 on the impact surfaces 33. This quickly dislodges the molded block H from mold 25 and it slips therefrom onto rollers 58 of carriage B5. The weight of block H and pallet 6!! on carriage 65 is sufficient to overcome the bias of the weight-spring combination 89, 8 2; and the carriage 65 is lowered to the position shown in Figure 1, with latch 83 slipping over shaft IT to hold the carriage in its lowered position. The

lowering of carriage 65 pulls down rod I2! to,

open the switch and deenergize motor 59, whereupon vibration of support l5 ceases.

The operator then gives a slight shove to pallet 69 and block H; and they move over the rollers I I8 toward the outlet end of the roller track I IS. The operator then manually returns the mold 26 to its upright position in which it is he d by detent l H and dog H3. As mold 26 is rotated into upright position (Figure 1), lever I01 strikes stop I92 on the machine frame to return bottoms 9| and 92 inwardly to their normal position with respect to frame 81, as shown in Figure 9. The cycle is then ready for repetition.

It will thus be seen that there has been described a machine having particularly advantageous vibrating means, impact means, block removal means, and mounting means, each feature of which, while useful to advantage independently, is particularly advantageous when incorporated in the complete machine described herein.

I claim:

1. Vibratory molding apparatus comprising a mold, asupport therefor, rotary vibratory means operatively associated with said support, and mounting means for said support and substantially confining the vibration thereof to a vertical direction, said mounting means comprising laterally sp-aced. anchor members and transverse tension elements connected to said anchor mem bers and to said support in vertically spaced relation. 5

2. Vibratory molding apparatus comprising a mold, a support therefor, vibratory means assofer means when in said upper ,members spaced apart laterally on opposite sides of said' support, and longitudinally resilient tension elements vertically spaced throughout their length extending transversely between each anchor member and said support.

4. Molding apparatus comprising a mold having a base and side wa ls, means mounting said mold for oscillationbetween upright and inverted positions, andmeans responsive to movement of said mold into inverted position for moving said base relative to, said side walls to break the bond between said base and a mold charge.

5. Molding apparatus comprising amold having a base and side walls, means mounting said base for movement relative to said side walls between charging and charge-releasing positions,

shaft means journaled on said side walls and having an eccentric portion connected in supporting relation to said base, and means for rocking said shaft about its axis to cause said eccentric shaft portion to move said base in an arcuate path receding from said side walls.

'7. A mold comprising side walls and a base, and means carried by said side walls for supporting said base for movement in an arcuate path receding from said side walls.

8. A mold comprising side walls and a base, means carried by said side walls for supporting said base for movement relative to said side walls between a molding position and a mold charge releasing position, said supporting means being manipulable to move said base between said positions in an arcuate path tangential to said molding position.

9. A mold comprising side walls and a base, and means mountingsaid base for movement relative to said side walls in a first direction substantially parallel to the plane of said base to break the bond between said base a mold charge, and then in a second direction receding from said mold charge.

10. A vibratory molding apparatus comprising a mold, vibratory support means for said mold, means for vibrating said support and mold, transfer means beneath said mold and movable vertically between a lower position and an upper position closely subjacent said mold, said transposition being adapted to receive a molded article released from said mold, and means responsive to movement of said transfer means 'into said upper position for actuating said vibratingmeans to release said articfe from said mold.

11. Molding apparatus comprising 'a mold, a support therefor, means mounting said mold on said support for movement relative thereto between charging and charge releasing positions, cooperating abutment means on said mold and on said support for stopping said mold at each of said positions, spring-pressed latch means on said support, a latching element movable with said mold, a pair of latch lugs on said element adapted to be selectively engaged by said latch means upon movement of said mold into each of said positions, one of said latch lugs providing an abrupt shoulder engaged by said latch means to securely lock said mold in one position, the other of said latch lugs providing a cam surface adapted to displace said latch means from latching engagement therewith upon application of a predetermined force to said mold.

12. In a molding apparatus: a pair of vertically extending support members; means form- I ing a mold including a pair of oppositely db a Number 12 ing a mold including a pair of oppositely directed aligned pintles engaging said members adjacent their upper ends and supporting said mold thereon for angular movement about a horizontal axis; means adjacent the lower ends of said members mounting said members for vertical vibratory movement; means for vibrating said members; and means respectively adjacent said members providing vertical guide slots for said pintles as well as upwardly facing abutment surfaces adapted to be engaged by said pintles on their downward strokes.

ALBERT RICHARD CLAN'ION.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 2 Name Date 825,919 Melton July 17, 1906 881,815 Merritt Mar. 10, 1908 1,029,559 Pauly June 11, 1912 1,497,134 Covi June 10, 1924 25 1,587,853 Ransohofi June 8, 1926 1,631,251 Davis June 7, 1927 1,702,253 Elliot l Feb. 19, 1929 1,765,064 Eberling June 17, 1930 1,867,144 Gelbman v July 12, 1932 30 1,873,412 Jackson Aug. 23, 1932 2,003,702 Straub June 4, 1935 2,069,880 Gelbman et a1. Feb. 9, 1937 2,227,756 Kirkham Jan. 7, 1941 2,298,446 W'hite Oct. 13, 1942 35 2,311,480 Shugart et a1. Feb. 16, 1943 

